Perl UBL validator - example

[david.lyon@computergrid.net]

David,

I probably understand what you are saying now.

For now though, I don't have the time. I just need some quick
and dirty tests for a production system.

Here's a basic example of a validator perl script to cust and 
paste at home. It's intended to do a very basic check of a UBL 
purchase order. This was the first cut and serves as an example. 

(how to use: install perl or use linux
             cut and paste into checkPO.pl
             check XPath and XMLParser libraries are installed) 
 to run: perl checkPO.pl <UBL-purchase-order-file>

Usual disclaimers apply.

---- start
#/usr/bin/perl
#
# -- Computergrid UBL Purchase Order Validator
#    (c) Global Tradedesk Technology (Australia) Pty Limited 2004
# -- Free for educational use
#
use XML::XPath;
use XML::XPath::XMLParser;

print "Computergrid.net - UBL PO Document Test Script\n";

# -- create an object to parse the file and field XPath queries
my $xpath = XML::XPath->new( filename => shift @ARGV );

# --
print ".Checking Header for mandatory fields\n";

my @checkElems; 
my $FailCount = 0;
 
# -- apply the path from the command line and get back a list matches
#my $nodeset = $xpath->find( shift @ARGV );

push (@checkElems,"/Order/cat:IssueDate");
push (@checkElems,"/Order/cat:BuyersID");
push (@checkElems,"/Order/cat:SellersID");
push (@checkElems,"/Order/cat:LineExtensionTotalAmount");
push (@checkElems,"/Order/cat:LineItemCountQuantity");
push (@checkElems,"/Order/cat:BuyerParty/cat:SellerAssignedAccountID");
push (@checkElems,"/Order/cat:OrderLine\[1\]");
push (@checkElems,"/Order/cat:OrderLine\[1\]/cat:LineItem/cat:Quantity");
push
(@checkElems,"/Order/cat:OrderLine\[1\]/cat:LineItem/cat:LineExtensionAmount");
push
(@checkElems,"/Order/cat:OrderLine\[1\]/cat:LineItem/cat:Item/cat:Description");
push
(@checkElems,"/Order/cat:OrderLine\[1\]/cat:LineItem/cat:Item/cat:SellersItemIdentification/cat:ID");
#push
(@checkElems,"/Order/cat:OrderLine\[1\]/cat:LineItem/cat:Item/cat:BasePrice");

# -- Now loop through each of the elements to validate and check their
existance
foreach my $elem (@checkElems) {

    if ($xpath->exists($elem)){

        my $nodeset = $xpath->find($elem);
        print "  ..\[Exists\] $elem\n";
    } else {
        print "  ..\[Not Exists\] $elem \n";
	$FailCount = $FailCount + 1;
    }
}

if ($FailCount eq 0){
    print "[Pass] Document passed Validatation test\n";
} else {
    print "[Fail] Document failed Validatation test with $FailCount Errors\n";
}

---- end

Quoting David RR Webber <david@drrw.info>:

> David,
> 
> The only thing I'd add to Jon's comments is - why re-invent the wheel?
> 
> OASIS already has the CAM specification in place - you are most welcome to
> integrate the concepts and techniques from that work - and there's even the
> open source implementaton to help you.
> 
> There is certainly a perfect opportunity from the business stance to create
> a
> shareware product that provides cool end-user tools to manipulate rules and
> UBL
> structures and express those in CAM templates as XML...
> 
> If you look at the CAM Wizard HTML and Javascript that's in the tutorial
> available from the OASIS CAM site - you may get even more ideas of how you
> could embed UBL structures into an online Wizard - and then allows you to
> click
> and choose - and build your rules sets.  Just some ideas.
> 
> This would make a very nice shareware product that would be easy to
> implement
> IMHO.  Oh - yep - you can write it in Perl too if you want too - no
> objections
> there!
> 
> Cheers, DW.
> ============================================================
> 
> Quoting jon.bosak@sun.com:
> 
> > [david.lyon@computergrid.net:]
> > 
> > | We are in the middle of producing a UBL validator/testpad so we
> > | haven't made it publicly available yet.
> > | 
> > | It's written in Perl and does a wide variety of tests on
> > | documents. The basic idea is that it would be able to scrutinise a
> > | trading partners documents for compliance to the specifications.
> > | 
> > | Our plan is to release the tool as shareware in the next month or
> > | so.
> > 
> > David,
> > 
> > This is exactly the kind of tool we need to make UBL practical,
> > and I'm glad to see the ubl-dev list beginning to function as a
> > place for sharing this sort of information.  As your examples
> > show, real-life applications need to do a lot of "business
> > validation" beyond the "schema validation" provided by the UBL
> > schemas.  It will be interesting to see the various approaches
> > that emerge to accomplish this.
> > 
> > | If anything, UBL needs way more tools from way more people than
> > | it has.
> > 
> > I completely agree.  The more, the better.
> > 
> > | and I sometimes get the impression that there is a lot of
> > | negative encouragement given to anybody outside of the
> > | oasis banner, as if to say, leave it to the big boys, we'll
> > | take care of it. Whatever....
> > 
> > Please don't take the comments of any particular OASIS participant
> > as reflecting the organization as a whole.  OASIS has one of the
> > least hierarchical organizational structures of any major
> > standards body, and no chair of an OASIS TC speaks for any other
> > TC.  I can assure you as the chair of the UBL TC that we are
> > wholeheartedly supportive of efforts such as yours, and I applaud
> > the shareware approach you're planning to adopt for distribution
> > of your product.
> > 
> > | UBL and ebxml is struggling... can't see why....
> > 
> > UBL and ebXML are both continuing to steadily gain traction in the
> > face of heavy opposition from certain Very Large American Software
> > Companies.  Those of us who were privileged to watch the early
> > "grass roots" stages of Web adoption can see some basic
> > similarities here.  Just as in the case of the web, homegrown
> > products such as yours will play an essential role in deploying
> > these user-oriented technologies.  Keep up the good work!
> > 
> > Jon
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> http://drrw.net
> 




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